Phillippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the

Lord, [my] dearly beloved. Paul had discovered that salvation from self was not to be found in a mere trying to be righteous but rather in a persistent falling short of righteousness and utter surrender to the new life of the spirit, which is the gift of God. Simply put Paul found it was not easy for people to stay committed. Standing fast in the Lord is an act of devotion. Our lives are not simple and one tracked. We are constantly if not consistently being attacked on all sides, with a little piece of our life here, a little of our time there, a portion of our strength elsewhere. We often find ourselves as the proverbial chicken running around with the head cut off. Without some overall glue to hold us together, we may literally fall to pieces. This causes panic and when we panic we tend to stick to what we know. This is often when we chose to use our own devices; our own wisdom, our own experiences, our own thoughts, our own heart to guide us through life. The bible has taught us about our own: Wisdom The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) * fear here means reverence Our own wisdom is not sufficient without reverence for God. If we had reverence for God we would not be going at our problems alone. We would be seeking Gods guidance. What we should learn from our own experience is summed up in Genesis 30:27 I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. All of our experience is a blessing from the Lord so why do we not include the lord always in all that we experience?

When it comes to our thoughts, Isaiah 55:9 Clearly states: For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Yet again our own thoughts do not compare to that of the Lord so why are we not seeking counsel from God first. We learn about our heart here in Jeremiah 17:9 The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? We should not trust in our heart to carry us through life either. We should not chose to use our own devices; our own wisdom, our own experiences, our own thoughts, our own heart to guide us through life. Our trust in our own selves will eventually lead us down one of three avenues of sin: I John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Not our own will but the will of God. What Paul is talking about is that he recognizes the struggle to stay committed to the Lord. When we falter and trust in our selves or the world around us, the glue, GOD, that hold us together is not there and we begin to fall apart. So stand fast in the Lord.

The word therefore that starts out this verse forges a link between Gods power and mans problems. The position for power to remain steadfast is in the Lord. Unless we have learned that Jesus is the secret to our strength and security we will fall back in defeat. In the Lord You are in Christ, he is your power and protection, therefore stand fast in him. You are His possession, He owns you, therefore stand fast in Him. * Stand fast * Stand fast * Stand fast * Stand fast in in in in the faith that is in Christ (1 Cor. 16:13) the fellowship that is in Christ (Phil 1:27) the freedom that is in Christ (Galatians 5:1) the foundations that are in Christ (2 Thess. 2:15)

Ephesians 6:13 tells us: Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. The Christian faith will produce stability in life. I believe that life has taught us due to our own tragedies and triumphs that the quality of life does diminish when we do not stand fast in the Lord. Through Good times and bad we know that the quality of life diminishes when WE DO NOT STAND FAST IN THE LORD 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. It is one of the glorious truths about the body of Christ that each member can be different yet we are all on in Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. What we have here with two prominent female members of the Church is a problem of disunity. Paul urges these two, to pursue the right course of conduct. There may be diversity without division, a difference of methods without disunity of minds, disagreement without departure. The solution as Paul states is is: to be of the same mind in the Lord. We may have differences of opinions about many things but that will not separate two people who have the mind of Christ. Set aside our differences and be of the same mind in the Lord. What Paul is saying to each of the woman that he is speaking to here is that they need to become reconciled to God (be of the same mind)through prayer and repentance, then they will be able to start the process of reconciliation with each other. They will have a new perspective in regards to their differences. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; Individual subjection to Christ and His word will save us from dissention and division. Diversity is a blessing from God, but disunity can and will destroy a testimony for Christ. The way to settle any disagreement, the right way In the Lord. Phillippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and [with] other my fellow labourers, whose names [are] in the book of life. The important thing to note here is that the apostle appealed to to others in the church to cooperate in bringing to pass a reconciliation of of these members of the church.

It is often that through a spirit filled individual of God that dislocated saints are restored to fellowship with God and usefulness in His service. We can help start the process, the Holy Spirit will convict the individual heart to motivate the needed change. It is our duty to protect the Lords interest by not allowing differences between brethren to deepen into strife and separation. Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Phillippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. Joy is the fruit of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Joy shines forth in every spirit filled Christian. The joyous spirit is to be maintained at all times and IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, for any lapse from it weakens our defenses against a state of depression. When the source of our rejoicing is in the Lord we can echo the words of Habakkuk: Habakkuk 3:17- 18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk rejoiced in spite of famine. The meek rejoice in the face of forbearance

Isaiah 29:19 The meek also shall increase [their] joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Believers rejoice when facing their foes: Isaiah 4:15-16 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, [and] shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. In each instance rejoicing is in the Lord. If we were to lose all that pertains to this life we can still rejoice in the Lord as He is the source of all gladness and joy. Disunity is a destroyer of Joy. The Christian who is in fellowship with the Lord as well as other believers does not need to first count his blessings to rejoice. Even when we cannot rejoice in our own circumstance, when we cannot rejoice in our environment, we can still rejoice in the Lord as the Lord is always a cause of joy to those who love Him. Joy is the outgrowth of Love Galatians 5:22. Love the Lord and you will rejoice, love the brethren and you will rejoice, Love you enemies and you will rejoice. The secret to perennial joy is in realized fellowship with Christ and fellowship with those who believe in Him. Phillippians 4:4 is a commandment. Regardless of our circumstance. Joy is not something we can prepare ourselves. It is the fruit of the spirit.

There is no power in a Christian life if we do not have joy. God has given us richly in all things to enjoy. Enjoy here means rejoice, that is our strength and that is our power. Joy is the source of power. The world spends a great deal of time and money trying to reproduce joy, which we call it happiness. Think of a comedian who makes millions of dollars because he tells some funny jokes, we pay to hear these jokes, because we want to laugh. We want to laugh because we are trying to find a little happiness as we go through life. We chase happiness in life when we should be working to achieve joy. Happiness is fleeting, joy is permanent. Remember all earthly joy; happiness; will vanish and die. Joy can only be found in fellowship with Christ. Rejoice in the Lord almighty always rejoice is a gospel imperative. It is a call for us to set aside our grief. We are called to joy in the midst or sorrow because we can put our trust and faith in Him who has come to take our burdens for us. Rejoicing in anything or anyone other than Christ and in the matters of his atoning work of salvation will decrease Joy in our lives. When we consider Paul we see that he constantly reminded himself that his new life in the Lord; or in the power of the Lord, was not a product of his uncertain will but a new creation from God Himself. When you and I really live, by really live I mean live in the Spirit, it is not you or I but by the Grace of God in us, we can take no credit for it, we can simply rejoice that we are being worked through without having to ask why, or how, or to what end. When we fail we remind ourselves that we without God, will always fall short, then we can forget our failures, commit ourselves to God to renew His work in us and rejoice. Every true act of self giving is prompted by the grace of God and empowered by the Spirit of God, so on every occasion we should rejoice to give credit where it belongs, this leads more and more to the joy of a totally surrendered life. Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand.

The word moderation has also been translated into :forbearance, yieldingness, gentleness, considerateness, agreeableness, pliability, and courtesy. I prefer sweet reasonableness. In all of these words we find the opposite of stubbornness and self will. Let your reasonableness be known to all men. We need to be reasonable believers not a zealot in our faith. We should have deep , very deep convictions but we should not be given to a militant attitude where we are riding a hobby always emphasizing some little point , when what we need to do is emphasize the big point- The person of Christ. The Lord is at hand, the Lord Jesus could come at any moment. We here in this passage are not called to sacrifice right principles but for the sake of peace we are asked to be ready to yield that which we call our rights, our position our preferences. This is a mildness of disposition. This sweet reasonableness it to find expression in our conduct towards others, that is, we are to let it be know unto all men. This disposition subdues explosive tempers, stubborn will, and avoids extremes in such a way that everyone in whom we come in contact with will notice it. We should never fear what we might lose because we have this disposition, because the Lord is at hand: Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. Jesus is always with us. Fear and worry over the loss of prestige, position or even our possessions, disappears with the awareness that the one who loves us and provides for us is present.

The Lord is here in the person of the Holy Spirit to give us grace and power for the present and He will come again and reward us for faithfulness to Him and His word.

Psalm 145:18 The LORD [is] nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Injustice and derision is hard to bear , but all of our troubles may soon be over the Lord is at hand. The Lord is coming. A firm stand in the Lord will generate moderation or the gentleness of Christ, and expectation of the imminent return of the Lord. Phillippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Be anxious for nothing. There is a fretful anxiety about material things that is robbing us of our desired peace of mind. Like Martha in Luke 10:41 we are careful or anxious about many things. We should be careful or anxious for nothing. Matthew 6:24-34 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what yea shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. Our Lord taught His disciples the need fro daily dependance on upon their heavenly Father. Jesus urges to take no thought, they are not to be anxious, about food, drink, clothing, shelter or their earthly future. Such anxiety in our lives prevents the word of God from taking root in our lives because the cares of this world choke the word of God which results in us becoming unfruitful in our lives, in our service to God. Our needs are Gods concerns, they are His care and responsibility. 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Hebrews 13:5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Worry robs our mind of peace and distracts our mind and takes our time a way form Christ.

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. Worry is the interest we pay on the debt of unbelief with which we have mortgaged out life. Faith ends where anxiety begins, so never give way to anxiety. We are to come to God in prayer and bring Him into every difficulty and deficiency on our lives. This is the secret to carefree living. Careful for nothing, Prayerful for everything. Supplication is a special petition or urgent prayer for a particular need. With thanksgiving we are to pray and praise, no matter how great the need in our lives we always have something to be thankful for. Turn cares to prayers and problems to praise. Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything and thankful for anything! Be anxious for nothing. Worry about nothing, pray about everything. This is the commandment given here. We are to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything. No worries because of prayer. Talk to the Lord about everything in our lives, nothing should be omitted even the little things. If you think about it what other than our salvation can be considered big to God, so keep praying about the little things too. We are to take everything to Him in prayer even the stuff that we would not dare tell anyone else. I have found a word of advice from a mystic from the middle ages name Fenelon which seems to sum up what Paul meant when he said pray about everything: Tell God all that is your heart, as one unloads ones heart, its pleasures and pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that he may comfort you, tell Him your joys that He may sober them, tell Him your longings, that he may purify them, tell Him your dislikes that he may help you to conquer them, talk to Him of your temptations, that he may shield you

from them, show Him your wounds that he may heal you from them, lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself as to others. If you thus pour out all your weakness, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for their is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed-are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God. Supplication is a special petition or urgent prayer for a particular need. With thanksgiving we are to pray and praise, no matter how great the need in our lives we always have something to be thankful for. With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Prayer is not a leap in the dark, it rests on a foundation: Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Prayer rests on faith, faith rests on hearing the word of God.. When we go to God in prayer thank him. No when you pray please do not think that God will not answer your prayers. Every request is heard and we have no unanswered prayers. When I was young I would ask my dad for lunch money for school and he would say o.k.. He understood I needed to eat, and I would get hungry and would need nourishment to get through my day. He would always provide exactly what I needed to eat a school lunch. Now when I would ask for a new guitar because I liked the way it played, sounded or looked or that I should just have it he would always say No! Everyone of my request was heard, everyone of my requests was answered. I have learned that the was reply to most of my requests was definitely no although I certainly did not see it that way at the time. Either way I always got an answer. God always answers are prayers, some times the answer is no. Turn cares to prayers and problems to praise. Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything and thankful for anything!

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The bible speaks of different types of peace, the peace that comes when our sins are forgiven (Romans 5:1), the peace of tranquility John (14:27). The peace that is discussed here is is a different kind of peace. it is a peace that only comes through committing ourselves to the Jesus. Jesus peace is a peace bestowed upon upon us, but not as the world giveth. The world system demands a price for peace, but it can not deliver the goods, after the price has been paid. The price for the peace of God has been paid through the blood of Christ; Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven. All who receive Him, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, can enjoy a harmonized relationship with God. I am not able to explain as it passeth all understanding, but I live it. Although you can not perceive it you may receive it. Gods peace is what guards our heart and mind. When we dwell upon our problems our heart and mind become affected, and could be affected to a point where we mentally and or possibly physically fall apart. This leads us to a place where we cant think straight, communicate properly,

or even understand the reality of our own circumstance. We lose the ability have right judgment. Wen everything is placed trustingly into the hands of our heavenly Father in prayer, petition and praise, WE KNOW, that he will keep watch over us, over our heart, over our mind, so that we do not lose our mental facilities, so we maintain a peaceful inner and outward existence. You will not at peace with the world, or with ourselves unless we are at peace with God and have the peace of God in our lives. This is my prayer for all. Phillippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. This verse is a brief biography of Christ. He is the one who is true, the way, the truth and the life. Whatever things are honest, He is honest. Whatever things are just - He is the just one. Whatever things are pure He is the only pure individual to ever walk the earth. Jesus asked the question, Which of you convicteth me of sin?. We all know the answer, no one did. Jesus also said in John 14:30 The prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in me. Satan seems to always find something he can hook into me, how about you? (If we are being honest with ourselves). Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, lovely which means gracious, one of courage. He took upon Himself our humanity, If any praise - He is the one you can praise and worship today and forever. We are bombarded with distractions, things that pull us into this world. We have a point and click mentally, where instant gratification often takes precedence over long term growth and gain. We can get lost in educating ourselves on how to take the path of least resistance instead of

how take a stand in Christ. If we as christians spend our time on the things of this world we lose the power in our lives. We lose our joy and our peace. This is a result of not focusing on fellowship with Christ. Only the word of God can bring strength to you. The word of God is our spiritual nourishment, we need to focus on scripture and not on the entertainment of this world. The word reveals Christ, the world reveals our adversary. We need to have the reality of Christ in our loves and this only comes by studying scripture. Jesus is on every page. Contemplation of Christ is the sanctuary of power.

Philippians 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. The better word for do is practice. Practice a life walking in the ways of God. I could not ask any one to do what I do as I fail all too often. Paul made Christ the center of his life and that is what we should do. Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. This is a thank you from Paul to the church at Philippi. Paul earlier in the text exhorted them to rejoice, here Paul testifies that I rejoice in the Lord. Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. Here the words we read show us that contentment is not the natural tendency of man. Covetousnouss, discontentment, murmuring are as

natural to man as thorns are to the soil. Contentment is a flower from heaven. It will not grow in us by nature, but if we have it we must cultivate it. It is our new nature, when we come to Christ, and this new nature alone that can produce contentment, but even then we must be very alert and attentive that we maintain the grace that God has sown in us. A Christians joy does not depend on outward circumstances but on the indwelling of Christ. Joy is from within not without. A Christian will learn this and other great truths through sometimes long, sometimes hard experience regardless of the outward conditions, be they in pain, hunger, in a prison or a palace. A Christian will be content, a Christian can be totally at ease in midst of the troubles of this world because there is a total dependance on God, finding complete satisfaction, sufficiency and strength in Christ. The older we get the more we tend to rely on things that do not fail. The one thing that does not fail can not be bought or sold, is a relationship with Christ. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. While he was in prison he was facing a death penalty. He gave up a normal life. He spent a long time launching a cause, for which he had to sacrifice a settled family life, giving up the ordinary business of making a living and literally suffered the loss of all things. This is someone here who is speaking as a voice of authority, about a deep truth: 2 Corinthians 4:18 the things which are seen are temporal, the thing which are are not seen are eternal. Paul learned to be content in whatever state he was in. He did not care if he was in prison or out of prison. We should never depend on our circumstance to dictate if we are content or not, but as long as we have fellowship with Christ we can have joy, which leads us to peace, which brings us to a place of contentment. Cultivate and grow this gift from God. Philippians 4:12

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. A christian can be a victor in every circumstance not a victim in any circumstance, when they have an overflowing bounty or having very little, suffer and need, the Christian must humble themselves and adjust to the will of God. Through the strengthening power of Christ Christians can remain the victor always and forever in any circumstance. Paul here again is saying thanks, this time for their sympathy. Then he says to the church at Philippi: I know how to live on the lowest plane of society both socially and economically, i know how to live on the highest plane of society. There are times when God may gives us nothing and we have to know how to be content. There are times when God may give in abundance and we have to know how to exist in abundance. It is harder to stay close to God when we exist in abundance because we may at times become arrogant in our abilities. We may start to believe that we our responsible for our abundance and may forget that it was a gift from God. A quote from the prince of preachers Charles Haddon Spurgeon let not the gifts thy love bestows estrange our hearts from thee.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Paul was convinced that man by himself can do nothing, but is in hopeless bondage to the evils of this world. That is why God sent us a deliverer. Under all conditions in life we need to take care to be conscious of the inward presence of Christ, who at all times supplied us with the needful strength to do all that is in His will for us.